


I Will Never Let You Fall

by Sly_Oren



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use, M/M, Self-Harm, Time Period: Aoba as Sly Blue, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex, depressed teen aoba, not a happy story so be ready
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-05-21 10:51:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6048729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sly_Oren/pseuds/Sly_Oren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the prequel to my other story 'But I Love You Most of All'. <br/>Mostly Aoba/Mizuki centric and the origins of their relationship as well as the inevitable outcome of that relationship. </p><p>If you have not read the previous story, feel free to give it a read! <br/>http://archiveofourown.org/works/2721776/chapters/6095888</p><p>These two can be read in any order!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glimpses of Green

God damnit…. how did he always find himself in these situations? 

The blue haired teen dodged another punch to his face and cursed when his own jab was blocked. He always had to be the one to start shit, it was just in his nature. But that nature always seemed to kick him in the ass fairly often as well. 

“Fucking hell, get off me!”

The teen’s current assailant smirked and backed up a little, but didn’t let go of the younger boy’s shirt. 

“Smart ass punk… you think you can just go anywhere you want?” 

The skinny youth took the opportunity of the older man’s slack grip to spit in his face and shove him harshly so he stumbled backward. 

“You fucking piece of shit, I swear to god…” The man was back on the teen in an instant, his fist colliding squarely with the kid’s face as he held him down to the dirty concrete ground. “I swear I’ll fucking kill you for that… no one spits in my face…”

For the first time in a long time, Aoba Seragai felt fear run through him as he felt a sharp pain radiate through his entire body. He knew he had just been stabbed but he had no idea where. IN his current position, he was helpless to defend himself as the man above him had his arms pinned between both of their bodies. 

The next few moments were too quick for Aoba to comprehend but his assailant was thrown off of him as a group of people entered the alley he was currently in. He wasn’t sure if he was bleeding, or if he still had the knife in him but he was pretty sure he was going into shock judging by the inability to move or comprehend much of what was happening around him. 

“Fuck… he’s bleeding a shit ton… the fucker pulled the knife out already…”

“We need to get him to a hospital…” 

“Are you kidding? They won’t take him… especially if we come in there with him.”

“At least put pressure on his side so he doesn’t bleed out. I’ll call an ambulance.”

Aoba couldn’t understand most of what was being said but he got the main gist of it. So…. he was going to die. Wonderful. What a waste of a fucking life…

“Hey kid… can you hear me? What’s your name?” 

The voice next to him sounded worried but Aoba could tell he was trying to sound comforting, which seemed funny to him, hilarious in fact. So much so, he started to laugh, the adrenaline coursing through his body keeping the pain at bay from the action. 

“You really… think I’m going to buy… that you give a shit about me? What… the fuck do you care… if I die right here…”

“Jesus kid, what the fuck is wrong with you?” 

Aoba stopped laughing and turned his head to look at the man kneeling next to him. For some reason, the only thing he could wrap his head around, were the man’s cool green eyes. 

“Fuck, your eyes are pretty.” 

There wasn’t time for the other to respond as the sound of sirens drew closer and Aoba’s ability to stay conscious dwindled down to zero as everything went black. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A sharp pain through his side was what woke Aoba up from his fairly peaceful and pain free sleep. Even in his groggy state, he knew he was in a hospital bed, the smell that flooded into his nose was a pretty big indicator… also the fact that he wasn’t dead helped as well. 

At least… for the time being. Even if the knife wound didn’t kill him, his grandmother definitely would. 

“Finally awake… don’t bother trying to sit up, you wouldn’t be able to anyway with all the painkillers you’re on. You’re lucky I even gave you any at all…”

“Surprised you did honestly…” 

“Hn… brat. I’m your grandmother first and a doctor second, Of course I wouldn’t let you suffer.” 

Aoba finally had at least a little strength to open his eyes and he was grateful that the room wasn’t too brightly lit. He didn’t look at his grandmother, not wanting to see the disappointed gaze he got from her each time he put himself in a situation like this. Granted it was the first time he’d ever been stabbed, but the concept was the same. 

“The police want to launch an investigation…”

“Tell them to fuck off… I don’t want to deal with that bullshit.”

Tae Seragaki sighed and glared at her grandson before moving over to check his bandages. 

“You really don’t have a choice in the matter. If you didn’t want to deal with it you shouldn’t have gotten yourself into this situation.”

“Pft… you think I wanted to get stabbed?” The teen flinched as the older woman poked and prodded around the knife wound. 

“Of course not, idiot… But I do know that you probably provoked him in some way. You do have a tendency to piss people off.”

She finished her task and adjusted the levels of her grandson’s pain killers before stepping back. “By the way, the young man who brought you here… you better thank him to no end when he comes by to see you tomorrow, you hear me?” 

“Whatever…” Aoba’s mind was getting fuzzy once more as the painkillers worked their magic and he found himself drifting into unconsciousness before his grandmother even left the room. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following day was not a picnic for Aoba. Not only did he have to deal with the police asking him about the man who stabbed him, but the constant, literal pain in his side was getting to a level where most pain killers couldn’t ebb it completely. He wasn’t sure of the full extent of his injury, but if it hurt that badly, the knife had probably gone in pretty deep… 

Nausea swept over the teen as yet another stab of pain radiated through him as he tried to sit up a little. He growled in frustration and was incredibly tempted to punch something when he heard a light knock on the door. 

“Fuck…” Aoba cursed in exasperation. He did not want to deal with any more people… especially if they were his grandmother or the police. He was done. 

“Hey kid, you alive in there?” 

The teen raised an eyebrow at the somewhat familiar voice. He remembered it from the night before… maybe it was the guy his grandmother said was visiting that day. Why the hell he would want to bother was beyond the blue haired boy and really, he had no desire to talk to him either. So he opted to stay quiet.

There was a moment of silence before the sound of the handle being turned was heard. 

“Your grandmother told me you were stubborn… fine, I’ll just come in then.” 

“Hey fuck off, I never said you could come in.” 

“You never said I couldn’t either…. so there we go.” A maroon haired man stepped into the hospital room before closing the door behind him. 

Aoba noticed the green eyes again first, just like the night before. Second thing he noticed was the teardrop tattoo on his cheek… A Ribsteez leader? 

“Look, if you want me to profusely thank you or whatever, it’s not going to happen. I could have taken care of myself last night.” 

“I’m going to assume your bitchiness is due to the fact you were just last less than 24 hours ago.” The older man stepped further into the room. “And I’m not buying your macho act… there’s no way you wouldn’t have been killed by that guy if we hadn’t shown up.”

Aoba averted his gaze and glared at a spot on the wall just to the right of the guy’s head. “Fuck off…” 

“Your grandmother was right about you… but fine, if you don’t want to thank me, you don’t have to. Either way, I just came here to see if you were okay.” 

“You’re so full of shit.” 

“What? Jesus what the hell’s your problem kid?” 

“You’re the leader of Dry Juice… you think I don’t know? So what the hell do you want in return since you saved my life and shit…” Aoba’s eyes met the other’s once more, daring him to prove him wrong. 

But all the older man did was laugh, for a really long time. And it pissed the teen off to no end. 

“What the fuck is so funny?”

“Holy shit… you are definitely entertaining if nothing else….” The maroon haired man eventually calmed down and made his way over to the teen’s bed. “Your name’s Aoba right?”

“Did my grandmother tell you my whole life story too?” Aoba was definitely embarrassed at being laughed at so thoroughly and he tried to push it down as he anger increased. 

“Nah, just your name… Look. I don’t want anything from you okay… I don’t work like that. I mean… if you want to join my team… you have some pretty good fighting skills.” 

“Hell no… I don’t do that shit.” 

“Fighting is what we do… and you seem to like it so… why not?” 

“Because I don’t fucking care about some stupid gang war bullshit! I fight people because they piss me off… not being I like it…” 

“Huh… alright… but if you ever change your mind, I’ll save a spot for you…”

Aoba looked away again, dropping the conversation. He was exhausted and in pain and just wanted to sleep. 

“Either way, I’m glad you’re alright... “ The redhead backed up toward the door, placing his hand on the knob. “My name’s Mizuki by the way… if you ever see me around, say hi okay?” 

“Yeah sure…” Aoba’s voice was a bit mocking as he closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him again. 

The last thing he was aware of was a glimpse of maroon hair and amused green eyes as Mizuki exited the hospital room.


	2. Getting to Know You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting!! I've been trying to spend more time away from my computer hahaha. That means I'll probably update every two to three weeks. If I can manage a chapter sooner than that it will be rare but it might happen sometimes lol
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! 
> 
> Thanks for the feedback I've gotten so far and I'm always up for more! So keep it coming!

Aoba winced in pain as he was hit by an attack. He knew it wasn’t real but it sure as hell felt real. Although that may also have been due to his actual injury still twinging every once in awhile. He had only been released from the hospital a few days prior after all. 

The teen grit his teeth and set up another attack. Aoba was honestly surprised his opponent lasted as long as he did; but again, he chalked it up to his mind not really being all in the game. 

Despite his distractions, he made the hit and won the match. Taking a moment to reorient himself with reality, the blue haired boy winced once more as he moved away from the crowd. Usually he’d be up for more than one match but he really needed something to dull the pain in his side. 

“Amazing as always, Aoba-san. Even injured you still manage to win every time.”

“Fucking hell, really?” Aoba said under his breath before turning around to face the older blond, his oval shaped glasses seeming to glint for a moment in the brightly lit street. “Do you two follow me everywhere I go? And how the hell do you know I’m injured?” 

“It’s honestly not hard to tell… Plus, can you blame us? You’re the most interesting player we’ve seen since we started overseeing matches.” The taller blond that always seemed to accompany the the one with glasses gave Aoba a smirk that to anyone else, would send shivers down their spine from the creep factor. 

“Virus and Trip, was it? Look, don’t waste my time okay? I don’t give a shit about your ‘study’ or whatever, I just want to play the game.”

“Seems as though you put your all into it though… is Rhyme perhaps some sort of a distraction for you?” Virus raised an eyebrow behind his glasses as he shoved a hand into the pocket of his sweater. 

“Because that’s totally your business… I don’t have time for this bullshit; I need a drink.” With that Aoba turned away from the two and made his way in the opposite direction. 

He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped into the first bar he saw. Even though he wasn’t old enough to drink legally yet, he had a pretty good fake ID that passed almost anyone. 

“Aoba?” 

The teen looked up at hearing his name, a glimpse of maroon hair and studded leather filled his vision and he inwardly groaned. He had hoped the guy would have forgotten about him… But then again, he shouldn’t have been too surprised, after all, this was pretty close to where he was attacked and if he remembered correctly, it was Dry Juice territory. 

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you work around this area.” The teen took a seat at the bar, confident that Mizuki wouldn’t deny him service; he didn’t even know his real age anyway. 

The older man just smiled a bit, “How’s your side? I’m assuming nothing important was hit since you’re already out of the hospital.” 

“Yeah, I’m fine I guess… still hurts though.” 

“Not surprised, that knife went in pretty deep.” 

The blue haired teen merely nodded and looked over the various bottles of alcohol behind the maroon haired man. “How much for a Midori and 7-up?” 

Mizuki’s expression didn’t change as he leaned forward on his elbows which were now resting on the countertop. “I’m sure you know the drill… with how young you look I assume you get carded a lot right?” 

Aoba said nothing as he took out his ID and handed it over. 

Taking it from Aoba, the older man only looked at hit for a moment before pocketing it. “Sorry, can’t do it. Gotta admit, it’s a really good one though, shme I’ll have to keep it.” 

“What the hell? Are you fuckign kidding me? It’s legit.” 

“Honestly, I would have believed you if I didn’t know your actual age.” 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Aoba stood up, ready to fight the redhead for his ID back. 

“You do remember I met your grandmother right? Although I suppose you were pretty drugged up… you may have forgotten… Either way, she told me you were only 16 so... “ Mizuki didn’t move from where he stood as he straightened up to meet Aoba’s challenging stare. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. I have to keep my bar’s reputation clean… If people knew I was giving drinks to minors, I’d have every punk kid in here trying to get the same treatment… I don’t need that bullshit here.” 

The words registered in Aoba’s head and he raised an eyebrow. “Are you fucking serious? You own this bar?” 

“And the tattoo shop next door, yes…” 

Fuck… how could he have been so stupid, or thought Mizuki was that stupid… “Whatever, just give me my ID back and I’ll leave…”

“Yeah… no. Why would I give it back? Just so you can get wasted somewhere else? I’m assuming you're on pain meds right? You know you really shouldn’t be mixing them with alcohol anyway… I think I’ll hang onto it.”

“Don’t fuck with me… I have no issues with starting shit with you right here…”

Mizuki raised an eyebrow. “First off… my crew is all over this place and won’t hesitate to back up their leader… second… I know exactly where your injury is and am not above taking advantage of that. Face it kid, you’re at a huge disadvantage right now; you don’t want to fight me.” 

“Wanna bet?” 

Before Aoba even had a chance to make a move, hands gripped his arms immobilizing them. 

“Nah… looks like I already won. Gotta admit though, you definitely have guts. I’d honestly reconsider my proposal if I were you… seriously, at least your fighting will mean something.”

“Don’t talk about me like you know me… you only met me once.” Aoba knew better than to take on a group of people, he wasn’t that stupid. Plus, he knew Dry Juice were pretty much unbeatable in a fight. 

The redhead motioned for his team members to let the kid go before responding. “I think I know enough about you to gauge your overall personality… I don’t hold anything against you though. My offer is always open.”

“Whatever... “ Aoba turned to leave, his pride a bit damaged but he knew it would have been so much worse if he actually tried to fight Mizuki or his crew. He was smart enough to quit while he was ahead. 

“You should go home, Aoba… it beats sleeping in a gutter right?” 

“Fuck off…” And with that he left the bar, never in his life wanting more than to beat the living shit out of someone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Finding a place that would sell him alcohol without an ID wasn’t too difficult, in fact, Aoba figured he’d have been better off doing that jin the first place. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know people who would look the other way. 

He took a swig from the bottle of vodka he now had and welcomed the burn he felt going down his throat, letting the effects take over. The crap the hospital had given him for his pain wasn’t doing much; next order of business was to get something stronger. 

The alleyway he was currently in was pretty deserted. He wasn’t sure whose territory he was in but so far no one was really bothering him. One guy was eyeing him a bit awkwardly but nothing more than that. Although it was starting to piss him off. 

“The fuck are you staring at?” 

“You hurt?” 

Aoba raised an eyebrow at the question. “What’s it to you?” 

The green haired man shrugged and took a few steps toward the younger boy. “It’s not hard to tell, you sat down pretty awkwardly.” 

“Unless you have some strong ass pain killers to give me, I’m not in the mood to deal with anyone…” 

“Well guess what? You’re in luck because I do happen to have something that would take care of whatever the fuck you have.” 

The older man was practically right next to Aoba at that point, but the youth was in too much pain to move or stand up. “How much?” 

“You don’t even want to know what it is?” 

“How much? Don’t fuck with me…” 

“Shit, you’re a bucket full of sunshine aren’t you?” The older man chuckled in amusement as he leaned against the brick wall behind him. “How about we do a little exchange…”

Aoba had a feeling he knew where the guy was taking the situation. It worked out well for him if that were the case… after buying the vodka, he didn’t have much money left. Definitely not enough to buy drugs off some random guy who was probably hiking up the price anyway. 

“I’m listening…” 

Squatting down so he was at eye level with the teen, the green haired man’s smile only grew. “If that pretty mouth of yours can get me off in five minutes, I’ll give it to you for free…” 

The teen snorted but didn’t move away. “It’s not exactly free if I’m sucking you off in exchange is it?” 

“It’s either that, or pay me for them…”

“Wow… such a hard choice.” Aoba said sarcastically as he weighed his options in his head. “Let me see the stuff first… I’m not about to give you anything until i know you actually have something.” 

“I figured you wouldn’t listen to me…”

Aoba inwardly groaned and looked over at where the now familiar voice was coming from. “Damn it, I have enough people following me around, I don’t need you too…” 

“Fuck…” The green haired man said under his breath and he was gone in the span of two seconds. 

Mizuki paid no mind to the fleeing punk and instead approached the youth huddled against the wall. “I’m not following you… you just happened to park your ass right by my apartment building.” 

“Of course I did…” Aoba rolled his eyes and slowly stood up with a wince as pain shot up his side. “So tell me where you don’t usually show up and I’ll go there…”

“Aww don’t be like that… I’m sure you don’t really want to sell your body for a place to sleep tonight right?” 

“That’s not what I was doing….” 

“Alright, what were you selling yourself for then?” 

“None of your fucking business…” 

“Look… I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything. I’m not your parent, but you have a place to go… you’re just a stubborn punk kid who thinks he’s proving a point… But you’re lucky to have a home and a grandmother that obviously cares about you…”

“You can shut your ass up right now… I don't need a fucking lecture from you. You don’t know my situation, you don’t know me… you talked to my grandmother for like five minutes… you know nothing… so stop pretending like we’re best friends and leave me the fuck alone!” Aoba swayed on his feet a little as he took a few steps toward the alley’s opening. He had already downed about half the bottle of vodka and was well past the point of wasted. 

“Shit kid…” Mizuki was able to easily catch the younger teen before he crumpled to the ground. “You want to fuck yourself up that badly?” 

Aoba smirked a little, letting Mizuki support him; he was too tired and drunk to care. “Yeah… better than feeling worthless…”

“Come on… I’m not letting you sleep out here…”

“I told you…” Despite wanting to protest, Aoba merely followed as best he could, most of his weight being supported by Mizuki. “I don’t need anything from you… leave me the fuck alone…”

The redhead didn’t answer, Aoba would just continue whining if he responded. It didn’t take him long to walk the short distance to the front door of his apartment. He felt grateful for living on the first floor of the building, not wanting to imagine the bitching the teen would have done if they had to climb stairs. 

Once the front door was unlocked, the redhead led Aoba to the couch, letting him sit, or lay down, or do whatever he wanted to do. 

Before he had a chance to pull away, he felt fingers gripping the collar of his jacket, keeping him in place before he felt a wet mouth press against his own. 

It wasn’t hard to gently push the blue haired youth back, a look full of mixed emotions passing over his face. 

“I owe you for letting me stay here….” was all Aoba had as an explanation before trying to push himself forward again. 

“Aoba… you don’t owe me anything… plus… I don’t make out with kids…” With a slightly playful smirk, the redhead, pushed the other away once more before standing up fully and making his way to the kitchen to get Aoba some water. 

“Not a kid…” was all Aoba could mutter before he let sleep take over, not really caring if Mizuki heard him or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should just stop telling you guys I'm going to post at certain times lol
> 
> Once again, I apologize for such a long stretch between chapters!

The first thing Aoba felt upon waking was a horrendous throbbing pain directly behind his eyes. He knew that type of headache well… he must have been absolutely hammered the night before. The only thing he could really do at the moment was open his eyes, and even that was a challenge. He was grateful that the room was relatively dark though and the teen willed himself to sit up. 

Looking around the room, he didn’t recognize where he was; which wasn’t anything unusual for him. It wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up in strange places on a regular basis. Checking his coil for the time, he noted it was about three in the afternoon. Great, he had wasted almost a whole day sleeping… 

The teen was about to stand up and leave when he heard keys in the front door. On reflex, he tensed, ready to defend himself if he needed to. He vaguely remembered something about a guy asking him for a blowjob the night before; maybe that’s who he went home with… either way he still felt vulnerable in his current situation, and he hated feeling vulnerable. 

The door swung open, Mizuki pausing for a moment in the open doorway upon seeing Aoba looking like a cornered coyote ready to either pounce or bolt. “Hey, glad to see you’re awake… I guess that entire bottle of vodka didn’t kill you after all.”

It took a moment for Aoba to register who he was looking at but when he finally recognized the now familiar face of Mizuki, he felt his heart rate start to slow but he didn’t move from where he stood. “Why am I in your house?”

“I found you in an alley… Lucky I did too, you might not be alive right now. Do you always do stupid shit on a regular basis?” 

Aoba finally relaxed fully and shrugged. “Call it stupid if you want… I just do what I want.” 

“Clearly…” The redhead shut the door behind him and walked further into the room, opening up the blinds to let sunlight into the dimly lit room. “You must have the worst hangover right now… you want something to eat?” 

The younger boy was about to say something but decided against it. He was being offered free food… he wasn’t stupid enough to fuck up that offer. “I guess… but for the record, I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years.” 

Mizuki snorted in derision as he walked into the kitchen. “I really hate kids like you… you have people who care about you and are willing to help you and offer you a home and food to survive and yet you ungrateful little shits throw it back in their faces and try to live on the streets like you know what’s best for you….”

Aoba wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Everything Mizuki said was true. That didn’t mean that he wanted to admit it though. “Then why do you even give a shit about me? If you hate people like me so much, why bother?” 

“Don’t think too hard about it.” The bartender made his way back into the living room and set a sandwich down in front of Aoba who had sat back down on the couch. “So why exactly do you choose to live on the streets and constantly try to ruin your life by drinking, getting stabbed, and who knows what else you do?” 

The blue haired teen shrugged once more as he picked up the food and took a large bite. 

Mizuki just sighed and sat down next to Aoba. He really wasn’t sure why, but ever since he first met the kid, he’d felt some weird connection with him. Not like he knew him previously or something like that. It was more like he felt as if he had to take care of him… like something was compelling him to fix whatever problems the kid had in his life. 

“Can you at least tell me why you don’t want to live with your grandmother?” 

Aoba sighed in frustration. Why did this guy feel the need to ask him so many questions about his life? Maybe if he just answered, Mizuki would stop asking.

“It’s not like she’s ever home anyway… so what’s the point of staying there when I’d just be by myself anyway? I’d rather do what I want and go wherever I want than waste my life sitting around in an empty house.”

Mizuki raised a skeptical eyebrow at that answer. “Yeah, but you don’t have to sleep on stranger’s couches or on the street…”

“If my grandmother knew all the shit I did, she’d have kicked me out anyway.” Aoba let out a humorless laugh before finishing off his sandwich and standing up. “As much as I love playing this game with you, I have shit to do.”

Without another word, Aoba left Mizuki’s apartment, shoving his hands in his pockets as he headed toward the busier parts of the city. He wasn’t really sure where he was going, but he really didn’t want to be around the redhead any longer than he had to. 

Letting out another exasperated sigh, Mizuki got up and opened the door, seeing the youth hadn’t gotten too far yet. “Aoba…”

Said blue haired teen turned to look at the bartender. 

“Next time you need a place to sleep, just come here okay?” 

Aoba just stared at the redhead for a moment before nodding once and continued on his way. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Thanks for closing tonight Hikari, I really appreciate it.” Mizuki smiled at the young woman he had hired recently as a bartender. She had an impressive amount of experience and had worked in numerous super upscale clubs in Platinum Jail. 

“Don’t even worry about it, you work way too much as it is.” She spoke as her hands busied themselves with a recent drink order, her long red hair pulled up into a high ponytail. 

“I’m just glad the business is making enough profit for me to hire staff… You have someone to walk home with right? I don’t want you out by yourself at 3am.”

Hikari nodded and set the drink down in front of her customer. “Yeah, don’t worry about me. Just go home already.”

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Mizuki pulled his jacket on and headed out onto the sidewalk. It was incredibly cold out that night and there were weather reports of possible rainstorms. So far there hadn’t been any hint of rain but either way, Mizuki was grateful to have an opportunity to go home early. 

He passed by the alley just before his apartment building and was reminding of the last encounter he had with Aoba. It had been almost three months since he had seen him. It could have very well been that he had taken Mizuki’s advice and gone back to his grandmother’s house but deep down, the redhead knew that probably wasn’t it. 

With how reckless the kid was, Mizuki worried constantly about him; even if he hadn’t seen him since the day he had found the teen drunk in the same alley he was looking at now. 

Making his way up the stairs to his floor, he stopped in his tracks when he saw someone sitting outside of his door. Even though the person had their hood up it was easy to tell who it was by the light blue hair peeking out from the bottom of the hood. 

“Aoba?” 

“You said if I needed a place to sleep I could come here right?” 

Mizuki noticed right away how tired the younger boy sounded and he could just imagine that the teen probably looked just as awful. 

“Yeah… but it’s been three months… where have you been?” The redhead unlocked his door and watched Aoba stand. He finally got a good look at the teen’s face and as he suspected, the last three months didn’t seem to have gone very well for him. 

Aoba shrugged and entered the apartment after Mizuki, pulling his jacket off and tossed it toward the couch. “I owed some people a favor…” 

Mizuki really didn’t want to know the details of that… not that Aoba would tell him anyway. “Are you okay though?”

Aoba snorted derisively and sat down on the couch. “If you actually gave a shit you would have checked on me before now, right?”

The tattoo artist stopped on his way to the kitchen and looked at the young teen with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? If I remember correctly, you weren’t a huge fan of me ‘giving a shit’ about you in the first place. But yeah… I was worried about you.” 

“Don’t bother, I don’t need your sympathy.” 

Mizuki was at the end of his rope at that point. He hadn’t even heard about Aoba in three months, let alone seen him, and all of a sudden he shows up out of nowhere and doesn’t expect some kind of concern? “You know, maybe instead of being a complete dick every time I see you, you could maybe talk to me like a normal human being… it’s not a bad thing to talk to people you know. It’s no surprise you’re destroying your life.” 

“You know nothing about me…”

“That’s the fucking point! If you don’t want me to get to know you then why do you bother associating with me? Trust me… I am all for helping you out but you have to at least be willing to open up too.” 

“Fuck this… I’ll just go somewhere else.” The blue haired teen stood, grabbing his jacket, heading for the door.

“Is that all you do? Just run away from your problems? I just... “ Mizuki moved across the living room, blocking Aoba’s path to the door. “Look… I don’t know what the hell your problem is with the world but if you don’t want to tell me… fine. But if I’m going to be letting you sleep here and feeding you, you could at least be a bit more considerate.” 

Aoba smirked but didn’t move any further. “I don’t think you want my version of consideration.”

“Knowing you… probably not.” Mizuki couldn’t help but smile a little in amusement. Aoba hadn’t changed at all over the last few months. 

“Shame… you’re missing out. It’s not like it would be weird anymore… I am 17 now.” Aoba made his way toward Mizuki’s kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. 

“And what makes you think I’m not in a relationship?” Mizuki moved over to the fridge behind Aoba, reaching over the teen’s shoulder to grab a soda for himself as well. It wasn’t like he was a prude or anything. He’d had plenty of sexual partners and even a couple of relationships. But for some reason, Aoba seemed off limits to him. Not really because of the age difference, that was never really a factor, despite what he told Aoba in the past. It just seemed like Aoba would have no reason to want him. 

“First off, even if you were in a relationship, you really think that would stop me? Second; because you spend all your time working… just because you hadn’t seen me doesn’t mean I haven’t been around.” Aoba closed the fridge and turned around to face Mizuki. “Aren’t you a little bit curious?” 

“About what? I know what sex is like... “

“Maybe… but you don’t know what sex with me is like.” 

“No.. but i bet everyone else in Midorijima does…” 

There was a slight pause before Aoba moved past the redhead, heading back to the living room. “You’re hilarious.” 

“And factual.” Mizuki followed the teen and sat next to him once more on the couch before grabbing the remote from the coffee table. He couldn’t stand not having any kind of background noise to distract him. It was already awkward enough with Aoba just being there. 

“So… you won’t have sex with me because I’m a slut?” 

“Why do you want us to screw so badly?” Mizuki looked over after Aoba didn’t answer the question. Why did he choose that moment to shut his mouth? 

“Because I want you. Are you that stupid?” Aoba finally spoke after a moment. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t answered right away… it wasn’t as if he was embarrassed… he was definitely not new to asking others for sex…

“Aoba… I know that already, you’ve made that pretty clear more than once. What I’m asking you is WHY are you so fixated on me? I’m sure you can find anyone within two minutes of leaving my apartment who would be more than willing to fuck you.” Mizuki definitely knew what was going on. He had known it since the first time Aoba had tried to kiss him when he had been drunk. He knew that the teen knew it too… He just wasn’t sure why Aoba wouldn’t just say it. 

Aoba let out a small laugh and pulled his legs up underneath him, facing Mizuki fully and leaving a bit closer. “And you still treat me like a kid… You think I have too much pride to admit I like you right? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was just fucking with you?” 

Mizuki raised an eyebrow at that. “What are you talking about?”

“I could have you at anytime if I really wanted to. I have ways of making anyone do whatever I want… I just wanted to have a little fun with you, that’s all.” Aoba leaned a bit closer, only inches away from Mizuki’s face. “That doesn’t mean I’m lying about wanting you… but I hope you know that if you ever do give in to me… don’t expect any kind of relationship strings… I don’t do that sort of shit.” 

“You think I’m looking for a relationship with you?” MIzuki didn’t move away from Aoba. He wasn’t going to back down in any sense of the term. Aoba could try and intimidate him all he wanted, but the kid definitely didn’t scare him. 

Aoba’s eyes never left Mizuki’s. “I think you have a tendency to read more into a sexual partner than you really should.” 

“And you give me shit for judging you… pot, meet kettle.” 

Aoba smirked. “So are you just going to continue fueling this sexual tension?”

Mizuki returned the smirk. “Are you?” 

There was another pause before Aoba pulled away. “That’s up to you…”

Aoba was right for once… Mizuki definitely wasn’t helping the situation by egging the teen on. He almost forgot the point he was trying to prove by not sleeping with Aoba in the first place. He knew the excuse he had given in the beginning but now… his resolve was definitely starting to wear thin. 

“I like you too, you know.” Mizuki voice was softer than he had intended it to be, but didn’t care at that point. “And I’m pretty sure you’re aware of your own reputation among almost everyone on this island. I know you aren’t looking for a relationship. I have a feeling I know why…”

“So you’re a psychologist now?” Aoba looked away, not really in the mood to keep up his tough persona anymore. He was just too tired. He seemed to almost curl in on himself at the other end of the couch as he pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. 

Mizuki sighed and turned off the tv before standing. “Look… I’m going to bed. Eat whatever you want in the kitchen.” 

Before the redhead got too far, he felt his wrist being grabbed, stopping him from moving any further past the couch. 

“I’m going with you…”


	4. Chapter 4

Mizuki wasn’t sure at what point he had decided to give in to Aoba, but the next thing he knew, they were in his bedroom, the blue haired teen in his lap and their mouths firmly attached to one another. 

He could feel Aoba’s body pressed against him and it was like the kid was trying to merge their bodies together. The younger boy’s hands were all over him, and it didn’t take long for them to start removing articles of clothing from one another. 

“Fuck, hold on a minute…” The redhead pressed a hand against Aoba’s now bare chest, preventing him from moving in for another kiss. 

“Why? We’ve already started this… there’s no way I’m stopping now....” Aoba moved off of MIzuki’s lap and lowered his upper body down onto the bed, his face level with the bartender’s crotch. He began to work at the fastenings of the redhead’s pants, wasting no time in revealing the older man’s semi hard cock. 

“Aoba…”

“Don’t try and pretend like you don’t want this either… if you didn’t want it then you wouldn’t have let me follow you to your room. So just shut the fuck up and let me suck your dick… okay?” Not bothering to wait for an answer, the bluenette lowered his head and let his tongue move slowly over the tip of Mizuki’s length, letting out a moan as he took the head into his mouth. 

The redhead couldn’t have answered even if Aoba had given him the opportunity, the sensation of the teen’s tongue on his cock was all he could focus on. He knew that Aoba was right though, he did want this, apparently a lot more than he thought he did judging from how quickly his dick grew in size. 

He let Aoba continue without any more protesting. The kid definitely knew what he was doing and it definitely didn’t get passed Mizuki. Of course he knew that Aoba wasn’t exactly a virgin, but experiencing the teen’s level of expertise firsthand was a bit jarring to say the least. 

Aoba focused solely on his task, his tongue continuing to move along the head of MIzuki’s length as he used his mouth to create suction around the rest of his cock as he moved up and down. He didn’t really move too far down the length, focusing primarily on the head, knowing that’s where most of the sensitive areas were. He felt the bartender’s hand on his back and it encouraged him to suck a bit harder, his eyes moving upward to look right into Mizuki’s 

“Feels good, right?” he asked as he pulled his mouth off with a small ‘pop’, a smirk clearly evident on his face. 

“If I say yes, will you stop just to fuck with me?” Mizuki returned the smir. He figured if he was going to go along with Aoba’s sexual desires, he may as well have fun with it. 

“We haven’t known each other that long, yet you still know me so well.” Aoba lifted himself up, quickly removing the rest of his clothing before straddling Mizuki’s lap, his crotch pressing firmly against the redhead’s. He let out a soft moan as he began to move against the older man, wrapping his arms around the redhead’s neck. “Come on… I want you to touch me…” 

Mizuki was a bit thrown off guard with everything happening almost too fast for him to even comprehend. He did manage to notice how thin Aoba was underneath his clothing. It looked almost unhealthy. As a result, his worry for the kid began to cloud his lust a bit as Aoba sat in his lap and began rutting against him. 

Even though he was worried, he knew mentioning it would just piss off the teen and he really didn’t want to have another bickering match with him. Not that the lust had completely left him; Aoba was definitely keeping his attention and he found himself complying without even thinking about it, his hands moving to grip the slim hips, pulling the bluenette forward even more, his mouth moving to cover Aob’s, shoving his tongue inside. 

Aoba moaned loudly as he continued to move against Mizuki. It was like the redhead had become a completely different person… He had no idea the older man had the capability to be even remotely rough… for some reason Aoba always imagined him to be the ‘gentle lover’ type. 

“Oh my god… fuck me… I need you to fuck me now…” The teen couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to feel Mizuki inside of him, pounding into him hard and fast. 

All Mizuki could do was nod as he gently pushed Aoba off of him. He stood and removed the rest of his clothing before grabbing a condom from his dresser. He wasn’t that incoherent that he wasn’t aware of who he was about to have sex with… Aoba’s reputation when it came to sex was definitely not one he wanted to risk by not using protection. 

“Aww what a good boy, being all safe…” Aoba smirked as he watched the redhead roll the latex protection over his cock. 

Ignoring Aoba’s words, Mizuki just climbed back onto the bed, lube in hand and leaned in to kiss the younger teen to prevent him from saying anything further. “Turn over…”

Without a word, Aoba did as told, steadying himself on his knees and elbows, lifting his ass up enticingly as he let his head rest against Mizuki’s pillow. He was so ready for this, his cock already feeling like it would burst at any moment. 

The tattoo artist took a moment to take in Aoba’s body once more. He still felt concern for how thin the teen looked but tried his best to shove that to the back burner for the time being. Even if he asked Aoba later, the kid probably wouldn’t tell him anything. 

Grabbing the lube, Mizuki made sure he was slick enough before taking a hold of Aoba’s hips. He didn’t feel he needed to prep the teen, judging from the reaction to his rougher treatment earlier, it was probably what the younger boy would prefer anyway. 

Aoba’s body shook as he heard the lup being opened and his cock pulsed in anticipation. It didn’t take long for him to feel Mizuki rubbing against his entrance and he let out a low moan, pushing his hips back against the hardness.

The redhead felt his grip tightening slightly on Aoba’s hips as he began to push inside the tight heat. He let out a shaky breath as he felt the younger male’s body under him begin to tremble a little. Glancing over Aoba’s shoulder at his face, he could clearly see tears escaping the teen’s tightly shut eyes. He felt the need to stop but he also knew that if Aoba wanted him to stop, he’d say so… Not to mention, bringing up the tears probably would just result in a defensive and angry Aoba… again. So he chose to ignore them. Instead, he placed a hand on the teen’s lower back, moving it in what he hoped was a comforting motion. 

Aoba buried his face in the pillow. He knew that Mizuki saw his tears and he hated himself for it. He wanted to scream in frustration, it always happened like this. He knew he hated himself, knew that he was worthless… but why did he have to fucking feel everything so strongly at a time like this? He was fuckign pathetic. The hand on his back only served to remind him of how pathetic it was and it was all he could do not to turn around and punch Mizuki in the face. He knew the redhead wasn’t patronizing him, but there was only so much he could do at the moment but stay silent and endure his fucked up rollercoaster of emotions. 

Despite Mizuki’s screaming instincts to stop, his body began to move in and out of Aoba a bit faster, gaining a rhythm. He kept a close eye on the blue haired teen but Aoba seemed to be staying quiet and subdued for the moment. It was definitely a drastic change from just a few moments ago, but he honestly wasn’t sure what else to do but to give Aoba what he wanted. 

Feeling Mizuki’s length begin to move a bit more rhythmically inside him, Aoba tried to distract himself with that, his hips beginning to move in conjunction with the redhead’s, moaning as he gripped the pillow that was now soaked in his tears. 

Hearing the more positive reaction from his partener, Mizuki felt a little more comfortable as he felt his tense muscles relax just a bit as he leaned down over the slim body, his chest resting against Aoba’s back. “Doing okay?” 

The bluenette was silent for a bit, not really wanting to respond but he knew that Mizuki would just keep asking and then eventually stop if he thought something was wrong so he just nodded, pushing back a bit harder to signify he didn’t want to talk.

Getting the hint, the redhead pulled himself back up, his hands still gripping Aoba’s hips and began to move a bit more forcefully. If Aob just wanted to be fucked, he had no problem complying. 

It didn’t take long for Aoba’s moans to start increasing in volume as Mizuki’s thrusts became more powerful and he felt his own cock pulsing in response as his passage clenched around the hard length occasionally. It was no different than any other sexual encounter but Mizuki definitely knew what he was doing, despite his usual demeanor. 

The bartender knew something was off with Aoba the minute he saw him outside of his apartment a few hours prior. In the back of his mind, he still didn’t feel he should be doing this and yet… here they were. And the little display earlier with Aoba practically crying as he fucked him wasn’t exactly the reaction he had been anticipating. Even now, Mizuki could tell that the teen was just going through the motions and it was starting to make him feel incredibly awkward. 

Mizuki could feel his thrusts gradually slowing a bit as he thought about it more and more. He shouldn’t be doing this… He still barely knew Aoba, even if he felt some weird connection to him he wasn’t even sure if it was anything sexual. Of course he couldn’t deny that there was some sort of attraction there… 

“Come on… what the fuck are you doing?” Aoba had noticed the quick decrease in Mizuki’s thrusts and turned his head to look at the redhead over his shoulder. The guy looked lost in thought and Aoba knew what it was. He was starting to regret what they were doing. He could tell… it wasn’t a new concept to him. 

Mizuki looked at the teen who was now looking right at him and there was no mistaking the red eyes from his crying earlier. It was the last thing he needed to stop completely and pull himself from Aoba’s body. “Look Aoba…”

“No…”

Mizuki sighed and opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off once more.

“Don’t give me that bulshit. You chose to do this… I didn’t fucking force you so don’t act like this was some huge mistake, you fucking wanted it…”

“Aoba, I’m not saying…”

Aoba moved off of the bed and grabbed his jeans, pulling them on before looking around for his shirt. “You’re just like everyone else… you don’t have to feel sorry for me, I don’t want your fucking pity sex.”

For the second time that night, Mizuki wasn’t sure what happened or how he had gotten from point A to point B but the next thing he knew, he was forcefully pinning Aoba down to his bed, his hands gripping the kid’s wrists so tight he knew that any more pressure would probably break them. 

“Shut the fuck up for one second. You think you’re fucking special don’t you? You say you don’t want pity and sympathy but that’s exactly what you fucking want. You’re just an idiot kid who not only pretends to be homeless to get said sympathy, you can get anything you fuckign want because you’re a manipulative little slut who can’t stand being told ‘no’.”

Aoba was entirely too stunned to do or say anything. His mind wasn’t really able to process anything Mizuki was saying at first, he did however notice that his wrists were in excruciating pain. 

“Let go of me…” he said in a dangerous tone, one that promised equal pain to the redhead if he wasn’t freed. 

“I’m not letting you go until I’m done… Trust me, I have no problem breaking both of your wrists if you even think about trying to get out of this before I’m fucking finished.” Mizuki paused for a moment, taking in the teen’s face. He didn’t see much there. He knew Aoba had closed himself off, that wasn’t new at all. He did that with everyone most likely. But the detached look made him unconsciously eae up just a little. “Listen to me… I don’t care how much you fuck around with other people. It’s none of my business, as you’ve said numerous times, but when you fuck with me… that’s when we have problems. Don’t fuck with me and expect me to give you everything. I’m not that easy to manipulate.”

He finally let Aoba’s wrist go and pushed himself off of the bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them on before heading toward the bedroom door.

“Stay as long as you want.” he said as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway before closing it gently behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So surprise!!! A new chapter so quickly! I know, I'm surprised too lol
> 
> Thanks for all the support and comments guys! I really appreciate it! It keeps me motivated!


	5. Losing control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you guys! As always thank you for the feedback! Keep it coming!

Aoba remained where he was for a couple minutes; obviously too stunned to even register what had just happened. His first instinct was to get angry, he had just been humiliated beyond belief; not to mention manhandled like a fucking rag doll. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to move… all he could do was lay there, feeling his chest tighten. No, he was not going to cry over this… what the fuck was wrong with him? 

He finally sat up, taking a look at his wrists, noticing the bruising already starting to form. 

Shit…

Locating his shirt quickly this time, he pulled it over his head and decided on what to do next. He could always just leave… that’s what he always did right? Mizuki would probably prefer that, despite his words. 

The bluenette stood at the door for what felt like hours but in reality was only about two minutes. He had never felt this mixed about anything before. He always went into everything head on… so why was this so different? 

In the back of his mind, he knew exactly why it was different. In a way, he cared what Mizuki thought of him. Of course he acted like he didn’t, but unlike everyone else in the world, there was something about Mizuki that Aoba had never seen in anyone before. Sure, people showed they cared about him before… but for some reason with Mizuki, it felt one hundred percent genuine, and that, as foreign as it was to him, also scared the shit out of him. 

Taking a breath, he made up his mind and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway and moving toward the living room. He could hear rustling around in the kitchen and he felt his stomach tighten. He hated how much of a coward he was being but decided to not dwell on it and instead pasted on an indifferent expression. He didn’t want to let Mizuki know he was affected by what had just happened. 

He spotted his bag and went toward it, picking it up and putting it on his shoulder. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he knew that he couldn’t think right then. 

Looking toward the kitchen, Aoba was about to make his way in that direction when doubt entered his mind again. Mizuki said he could stay, but why the fuck would he want to be there right now? It would only be awkward upon awkward moments between them. Even if it was a warm place to sleep, it wasn’t worth it. He knew he’d only get upset eventually and storm out anyway… why prolong the inevitable?

Fuck, he really was pathetic…

Mizuki leaned against the wall in the kitchen, his hand buried in his hair. He could feel the headache relentlessly pounding at his skull but he couldn’t let that distract him. 

Opening the fridge, he pulled out a water bottle and took a few sips from it, trying to calm down. Now that he was out of the situation, he was kicking himself. Why the hell had he done that? Well, he knew why, but he probably went a little overboard with it.

The tattoo artist sighed and set down his water as he heard the bedroom door open. He should probably let Aoba come to him instead of trying to fix the situation himself. He had a feeling that the kid would probably leave… not that that was anything new. It seemed to be a running theme with them.

Letting out a relaxing breath, Mizuki headed for the living room but stopped short when he heard the front door open and then close.

Well of course…

He decided not to go after him this time; Aoba had said time and time again that he could take care of himself… so why not just let him? After all, it would probably be best to just leave it alone from now on. The kid obviously needed to figure his shit out and MIzuki really had no time or inclination to babysit Aoba while he did. 

The ball was now in Aoba’s court.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The earsplitting music was a welcome distraction to Aoba’s ears as he made his way through the crowded club. 

It had been a week since he and Mizuki had their last interaction together and Aoba really had no issues with that. He hated all the drama surrounding their situation and if having a place to sleep meant he had to deal with Mizuki’s ‘know it all’ bullshit, then he’d rather risk sleeping on a stranger's couch. 

He downed his sixth drink and was feeling amazing, his heart going a mile a minute with adrenaline. This was exactly what he needed. 

But there was a problem…

He could clearly see them out of the corner of his eye. They had been watching him ever since he stepped foot into the busy nightclub. He could tell that they knew he was keeping an eye on them as well but he wasn’t going to approach them quite yet. 

Granted it had been a while since he had had a run in with the two persistent blondes. There hadn’t been a Rhyme test in a while and frankly Aoba was starting to miss it. Granted he didn’t miss these guys in the slightest but he’d be more than willing to put up with them if it meant he could play Rhyme. 

Movement caught his attention and he unconsciously tensed as he watched the taller of the two approach him. 

God damn it…

“Hey Aoba, you’re looking cute tonight, as always.”

The bluenette smirked and set his glass down on the bar before turning to fully face the other. “Cute enough to buy me another drink?” 

Trip returned the smirk and leaned in, one hand moving to gently rest on Aoba’s hip. “Definitely cute enough for that… and more…”

Aoba couldn’t help it… he could never resist a chance to flirt, even if it was this psycho and his equally fucked up partner. He felt a shiver run up his spine at the older man’s touch and slid off the barstool, his hand grabbing Trip’s wrist, dragging him toward the dancefloor.   
“You can get me anything you want after you dance with me first…”

The older blond said nothing as he willingly followed the teen onto the dancefloor. He definitely had no issues with Aoba’s conditions. Granted it wasn’t exactly what they had gone to the club to do, he didn’t see a problem with indulging in the cute little distraction for a bit. 

Quickly glancing over at Virus, Trip noticed the other was distracted with someone else. No matter, gave him more time with Aoba… that was enough for him. 

“So what do you two want from me now?” Aoba was facing away from Trip, his hips already beginning to move against the other, his fingers still clutched tightly round the blond’s slim wrist. 

Trip’s hands moved to the swaying hips, his fingertips dipping just under the hem of the bluenette’s shirt, slightly caressing the incredibly soft skin underneath. “Awww, we have to have an ulterior motive to come see you now?” 

“Cut the shit… you always do.” Despite his words, Aoba found himself smirking. As annoying as those two could be, they were still incredibly entertaining to be around. He was sure they thought the same of him as well. He figured that was why he didn’t really hate them as much as he let on… and he had a feeling they knew it too. 

“Well, I know what I want from you… and I also know you’ll do some pretty nasty stuff to get what you want out of it.” Trip’s hands moved further underneath Aoba’s shirt until they were resting on the teen’s flat stomach, as he pressed his body against the younger boy’s back. “Plus, I love seeing that cute little face you make when you come all over yourself… makes me go fucking insane.” 

Aoba’s already clouded mind was made even harder to get control of with all the stimulation bombarding him. Trip was always so direct and frankly, Aoba loved it. The incredibly dirty things that came from that man’s mouth was more than just a little arousing and he felt himself grow instantly hard at the thought of a night with him. 

“What about Virus? Won’t he be lonely without you?” Aoba’s words took on a teasing tone to them as he turned around in Trip’s arms, now pressing the front of his body against the older man's front, his arms winding around the taller blonde's neck. 

“He’ll survive without me for a night. Although I'm sure he wouldn't mind joining…” Trip’s hands immediately went to the teen’s ass, cupping the perfect posterior as they both continued to move against each other to the rhythm of the music. 

“Nah… you’re more than I can handle on your own.” Aoba smirked and leaned forward, having to stand on his toes to reach Trip’s ear, his tongue darting out to swipe at the pierced lobe. “Plus… you’re more fun…”

Trip smirked and pulled away from the bluenette, mimicking the other’s actions from earlier and grabbing the teen’s wrist, pulling him toward the exit. 

“Then let’s get this shit going…”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Aoba stared at nothing as he sat in the dirty alleyway. He had left Trip’s place hours ago intending to go back after having a cigarette but for some reason he just… left.

He knew the blond wouldn’t give a shit. He had got what he wanted and Aoba definitely had the bruises to show for it. Not that he regretted it; sex with  
Trip was always an intense experience. 

Letting out a shaky breath, Aoba felt the onslaught of emotions wash over him again. He knew he was only making his life harder. He knew that he could just go home and live with his grandmother in relative comfort. But he chose not to. Why? Why did he feel the need to ruin himself? To fuck everything up… to sabotage his own fucking life?

The bluenette choked back a sob as he grabbed his bag, opening it up and pulling a smaller bag from within. Quickly glancing around to make sure no one was near by, he pulled out the small vial of liquid inside the smaller bag along with a needle and syringe. 

Trip’s ‘compensation’

After filling up the syringe and getting out any air bubbles, Aoba set it down on his bag for a moment as he pulled off a shoe and sock. He knew better than to use his arms, not only did it make ugly as fuck scars, he really didn’t want to display his obvious need for a fucking fix all over his arms where everyone could see and judge him even more. 

No… he didn’t need that.

Picking up the syringe once more, Aoba leaned over his now bare foot, finding a spot between his last two toes. Locating a vein (after a few minutes) he deftly slid the needle underneath his skin and let the poisonous liquid enter his bloodstream. 

He could already feel his tears escaping and he wanted to punch himself. he hoped he would have started feeling the effects of the drug before he actually started crying. He hated crying, he never knew exactly what it was that made him cry sometimes and other times it was for incredibly stupid reasons…

Putting his sock and shoe back on, Aoba remained where he was for a bit longer, just waiting for the effects to kick in. 

Honestly, he didn’t really care for heroine too much. It made him feel like the fucking living dead when he came down and he barely remembered anything from when the drugs had their hold on him. 

But it did make him numb for just a little while. No emotions, no fucking crying… just nothing. 

He stood on shaky legs, pulling his bag over his shoulder. He vaguely wondered if Ren was charged up… maybe he could help the bluenette figure out where the fuck he was. 

Leaving the needle on the ground, not giving a shit about it any longer, Aoba headed toward the street once more, opening up his bag and pulling out his tiny allmate. 

Aoba had gotten out of the habit of charging the little puppy so it was rare that he was used anymore. Aoba felt a small pang of guilt for some reason. Why the fuck did he feel sorry for a computer? But despite his question, a rush of disappointment passed through as he pressed Ren’s power button and nothing happened. 

Fuck…

Putting the dog back into his bag, Aoba pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up, blowing smoke out into the chilly night air. He could feel the drug taking its hold of him quickly and he relished in it, welcoming the nothing that was sure to occupy his mind for the next few hours. 

+++++++++++++++++++++

“So, seen that kid around lately?”

Mizuki looked up from his sketchpad as he heard the question. he had been so immersed in a new tattoo design he had come up with that he hadn't even heard the guy approach. 

“Who?”

“Damn boss, you’re out of it today…” The black haired teen sat down next to Mizuki, handing the gang leader a beer. “That kid… you know, the shitthead punk who thinks he’s the best Rhymer in the fucking universe and sleeps with anything that moves?”

Mizuki couldn't help but let a small snort of laughter escape him at the description of Aoba. It was pretty accurate. 

Popping the tab off his can, Mizuki took a swig before answering. “Nah… not in a couple weeks at least. I hear people talking about him though so at least I know he’s still alive.”

“If you don’t mind me asking… why do you care so much?” 

The Rib leader had to think about that for a moment. Why the hell did he care so much? It wasn’t as if Aoba was the only kid on the street going through emotional issues… 

“I have no idea… I mean, I did save his life so… maybe that has something to do with it.” 

The black haired team member scoffed and took a swig of his own beer. “So what? It’s not like he’s appreciative.. sounds like he’s just a freeloading pain in the ass.”

Mizuki shrugged and went back to his sketchpad. “I’m not that invested in him… he can ruin his life if he wants. I offered my help but he doesn’t want it so it’s on him what he does with his life.” 

“Yeah, I don’t even know how you put up with him as much as you did… If that piece of shit asked me for help I’d leave him out in the fucking street.”

Mizuki glanced over at the other but didn’t say anything in response to his words. Of course he didn’t agree but it was the guy’s opinion. he was entitled to think whatever he wanted. 

“... So did you hear the stupid ass name he picked for himself in Rhyme?” 

“Could we not talk about Rhyme? It’s bad enough some of our guys are spending practically all their time playing it, I don’t want to have to talk about it too…” The redhead felt his annoyance rising as he closed his sketch book and stood up. He needed another drink and something else to think about other than Aoba and Rhyme. 

The black haired teen stood as well, obviously upset at himself that he had offended his leader. “Sorry… I forgot you don’t like Rhyme… Don’t really blame you, I tried it last week and it’s boring as fuck.”

Mizuki couldn't help but smile a little at his friend’s attempts to rectify the situation and did appreciate the effort. “Don't’ worry about it Tidus… and to answer your question… yeah, I know what name he picked.”\

Of course he knew… he made sure to pay attention whenever Aoba’s name was mentioned. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mizuki sighed as he entered his apartment, glass bottles clinking together in the plastic bag he held in his hand. It had only been a couple hours since he had left his team’s hangout spot and he didn’t feel any better. 

After shutting and locking the door, he made his way into the kitchen and set his bag on the counter, pulling out the bottles of liquor and putting two of them away before opening the third. He pulled a shot glass down from the cupboard and filled it up with the amber liquid, the pungent smell already bringing comfort to his mind. He downed the shot in seconds, the burn of the whisky a welcome distraction from the day’s events. 

After three more shots, he placed the cork back in the bottle before heading into the living room. Picking up a remote control, he pushed a button and a barrage of loud heavy metal filled the room. 

He could feel the alcohol taking it’s effect and he welcomed it with open arms, the feeling of floating a true distraction as he sat on the couch and just let himself revel in the feeling of being completely wasted. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++±++++++++

The redhead jolted awake when he heard a loud bang. He looked over at his front door, thinking that was where he heard the noise come from.

he didn’t have to wait long before he heard it again… fuck, it sounded like someone was trying to kick down his door…

Picking up the remote, Mizuki turned off the blaring music and stood up, nearly losing his balance as the blood rushed quickly to his head. He obviously hadn't been asleep long, his body and mind still in full ‘drunk’ mode, but he managed to get to the door without any serious injuries.

Not bothering to look out the peep-hole, the tattoo artist opened the door and despite himself, was completely surprised to see Aoba standing there. He chalked it up to his drunken state but he found himself just staring for a bit. He wasn’t sure what to say, and Aoba wasn’t saying anything either. 

The seconds seemed to pass excruciatingly slow as Mizuki waited for Aoba to say something. He wasn’t going to give in so easily this time. . He knew why Aoba was there… he could see the bruises and scratches on Aoba’s face and arms… The kid was obviously not doing well on the street. But it was too fucking bad for him, Mizuki was not going to let himself be swayed by this kid, he was going to…

“Mizuki…”

The redhead’s thoughts halted at the sound of his name coming from the younger teen. His voice sounded distant and raspy, like he hadn’t spoken in a while, or maybe it was from yelling… The kid did get angry a lot…

When Aoba finally looked up to meet Mizuki’s eyes, the redhead almost gasped audibly. Tears fell freely from eyes that were filled with so much pain and suffering. He had never seen Aoba look like that before. He looked so lost, so defeated…

“Mizuki… it doesn’t work anymore… I’m still fucking crying… help me…”


End file.
